Rachna Apts... Hill Road...

Rachna Apts. Hill Road, Bandra.

An address that brings back a rush of memories. Of watching television, discussing inane plans of world dominion and of course, sampling some of the best home-made desserts ever. Rachna Apts was the erstwhile residence of 3 of my favorite women in the world.

Seniors of mine from college - Sindhu, Vibha and Diyya became much more than just friends to me in Mumbai, am not sure they enjoyed me coming over so often, but they never made me feel unwelcome. Their pad was a refreshing change from the hole in the wall I called home then.
It had curtains, a shoe rack, a well stocked refridgerator and most importantly two loos!

And it always always smelled great - some days it smelt wonderfully of chocolate and cinnamon (Di conjuring up desserts for 'the little boy'!), on other days it smelt of Vibha's citrus shampoo & sometimes late in the evening Sin's moisturiser wafted gently thru.

Some of my happiest evenings were spent at their house.

Watching tv with Sin (she insisted we all watch Priyanka Gandhi et all file their nomination 'Roha, you're watching history being made'), discussing doggy tales with Di, and most of all standing with Vi, looking out of the window, spending entire evenings watching this other apartment which always seemed to have parties happening (and it had also had interesting lighting!).
We made up stories about who we thought lived there and often fantasised inviting ourselves over to their parties. We never did.
And then one day, the lights didn't come on in the evening. We wondered what could have happened. We waited all evening and then the next one. But that house never lit up again.

Then Sin left. On a scholarship abroad. Vibha got married. Diyya went back to her parents.
And yet another house would cease to light up again.

Mumbai - as i know it

Have been trying to give some sort of direction to this blog. Not that it desperately needs it, given the 5 people that read it. Even so.

So I figured I should write about the Mumbai I know. People and places. Have been here for little less than 4 years now. Worked in three places. And met a million people. Atleast.

In Mumbai it's a tad difficult to be reclusive. Or even elusive for that matter. The first thing that strikes you is the people. The second thing that strikes you is people again. And so on and so forth.

My first house in Mumbai was a hole in the wall. RTO lane, Andheri (West, in Mumbai your geographical directions define you. Yeah, my gf wouldn't give me time of day had I been from Nalasopara East - and she's not even from Mumbai!)

I went thru two brokers to crack that deal. And one of them, Mamaji, continues to offer his services at regular intervals. Brokers in Mumbai seem to sneak into your life in a rather strange manner, and then refuse to leave. But you don't seem to mind. Or even realise that. Like the smell.